Automatic air-signal, air-brake, and steam coupling.



PATENTED JUNE 18, 1907 H. c. PRIEBE. AUTOMATIC AIR SIGNAL, AIR BRAKE,AND STEAM COUPLING.

APPLICATION FILED AR. 20 1 o M 9 7 ZSHEETS-SHEET 1.

F M W PATENTED-JUNE 12,1907.

. v EC. 'PRIEBE. Acrmmim AIR SIGNAL, AIR BRAKE, AND STEAM COUPLING.

AIBPLIOATIQN FILED MAE. 20, 1907- UNITED sTATns PAT Ttors on.

' HERMAN c.-'-PRI.EBE,.-for BLUE ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

RMA C. PRIEBE, a"

I citizen. of the United-States, residingfat Blue 'connection'with thedrawings, is .a descriptra1ns. v,

The device is entirely automatic inits, op-

Island, .Cook county, Illinois, have invented certain'new'and usefulImprovements in niitoinaticniresignal, Air-Brake, and 'Steam Couplerspof which the following, taken in tion.

The primary obj ect of my invention is the 1 production ot a combinedairsignal, air

rake and steam coupler'for rallwaycars, one

of whichis carried by and operatedautomatically and simultaneously withthecar coupler in the coupling and uncoupling of aeration and is coupledand uncoupllied with theoperati n of the 'car'coupler, w

be'accomplished without l he necessity of a ch may person going between.thecars tomake the connection or disconnection.

i Withthese and other objects 1n view the present invention'consists inthe combina- .tion and arrangement;ofparts, as will be .,-liereinaftermoresfully described, shown in ,the;d rawings and-pointed out in theclaims, it being understood thatchan'ges in form,

- the advantages of the invention.

7 proportion -and minordetails may be made within the scope of theclaims without de parting from the spirit or sacrificing any of In theaccompanying drawings Figure 1 is a top plan view of theco-olperatingpartsof -my coupler, showing the parts in opened posit'ion; Fig. 2 is alike View showing the parts in closed position; Fig. 3 is a sideelevation of I on line- 44 of Fig. in section taken on the sameillustrating the means of supporting lers. upon the knuckle ins of theers Fig. .4- is a sectional etail taken 2; Fig. 5 is a detail partlyline 5-5 of Fig. 4, Fig.

car coup 6z is a sectional detail takenon line. 6 --6 of Fig. 3.

In carrying outmy i vention A, A represent the'knuckle pinsextendlng'downwardly from the car couplers A? and carrying therein thetwo halves or sections B, B ofmy coup- .ling device. Each of the halvesor sections B, B is provided with a vertical annular opening Bthrough-which the knuckle pins extend. This annular-opening is ofsmallerdiameter mediate of the length thereof than at the ends, which allowsthe coupling pins to have a slight sid'ewise motion to accom "modatethemselves to the movement of fthe .Specification of Letters Patent;

one side thereof and a recess or groove 0, c

' into which is secured a chain D,

. to the bosses d, d which are made integra 'w1th the draw bar A knucklepins "the springs E, E" being exerted u 1 Ajpplit atioiifiled March20,1907. seriairorssaica' train. "Each halt of the coupler B,-B isprovlded with a bifurcated projection C, C on I upon .the other "side.One edge ofeach .of the grooves c, c is upturned and rounded outwardly,as at (1)11 to form a guideforthe projecting members C, 'C. the upturnededgesd, d is an a erture dad extendin Projecting from the body'of thecouplers .B, B are the bosses e, e, e e Springs E,

E surround the pins A, A, above the couplers B, 'B and extend throughthe bosses e,'e

and'e a re ect'ively, outside of the cou ler body to the ottom" of'thepins A, A he tension of-these-jsprings is tQllOld the two the couplersare brought together the set of openings n each-section coincides withthe corresponding ,set of the other section, and

forms a continuous passageway through the Through'each of coupler.'Pipes g are screwed into or otherwise secured to the coupler sectionsand are extended to the signal, brake or steam connections ondie car.Asis obvious the openings G, G, 1 may be of any size and dimensions reuired for the purpose. Y j

, h, h, h are flexible gaskets surrounding the meeting faces of the air.pipes to form an air tight'connection between the sections when thecoupler is. closed. The pipe G used tor-the steam connection is extended1n side of the coupler section as shown inFig. 6 and is provided uponthe outs de thereof with the flanges 9%, g which are secured by screwsor otherwise directly to the coupler section;

The operation of the device is 'as follows: 'As the cars are coupledanduncoupled in the usual way the two sections ofmy coupler'are broughttogether automatically andsimul taneouslyythe flexible washers forming,a

complete closure of the 'openi 's which are coincident with each other.T 1e tension of on the outside of each coupler section ho ds saidsecknuckles-of the coupler open.

tions together under the stress and s rain due to the movement of thecar. When the car 'is uncoupled the sections. are separated withit, thechains D, D holdingthe sections {in a straight line with that of theknuckle pins, so that it will readily unlock when the 'l' contemplatethe use of my invention upon freight cars as well as passenger trains,but in'tlns lnst'ance thesteam or signal hose will not be required, andthe-couplers'will has an annular opening extending t therethrough, saidannular; opening b p,

diategcfgythe length- @thereofi than the .end's,= supporting pins of twointerlocking sections, each of which have only one opening through whichthe airbrakes are operated. The couplers Will be -n1ade to interchangeand operate the air brakes as on passengerfexpress or mail trains, butwill have no openings for the steam or air signal-connections, otherwisethe operation will be the same.

I claim 1. In acoupling 'device,"the combination of the two halves orsections, knuckle pins upon which each of said sections are support ed,coiled springs surroundingsaid couplin r pins above the sections andextending on side of each section to the bottom thereof, air andstea'rnpassages through said coupler sections, and means for providing an airtight.

connection between the confronting faces of said sections.

I 2. In a coupling device the combination of the two halves or sections,knuckle pins extending through each of, said sections and havingconnectionwith the car coupler, air

and steam pa'ssagesthrough said sections,

pipes connected through said passages and extending to the air and steampipes of the car, flexible gaskets between the confronting faces of saidsections, coiled springs supported by-the aforesaid knuckle pins andadapted to hold the two sections of the coupler together, substantiallyas described.

3. In a coupling device,-the combination of the two halvesor sections,each section having bifurcated groovesinterlocking with correspondingprojections on the other sec tion, knuckle pins upon which said sectionsare supported, coiled springs surrbunding saidpins and extended outsideof each of said sections, coincident air and steam passages through thesaid sections, fiexi hie connections between the confronting faces ofsaid sections and means "or automatically opening and closing saidcouplers.

4. In a coupling device, the cornoination nai J y; )2 or smallerdiameteifnifi extending through said annular opening and springs forholding said sections together.

5.. In a coupling device, the combination of. two interlocking halves orsections each of which has an annular opening extending,

vertically therethrough, each section carry-i ing projections u on oneside thereof and a groove or channe -on the'op osi'te side, theprojections I of one section grooves of the opposite section,coincident-= steam andair passages through said sections,

pipes connectedwith said air passages and-- pipes extendingapproximately through the steam passages, said steam pipes having ttinginto the flanges abutting against the outer sides of said sectionsandsecured thereto, substantially as described.-

6. In an automatic coupling device of the class described, thecombinationof two inv terlocking sections, each of said sections havngan annular o ening extending vertically therethrough, sa (1 openingbeing of larger diameter at the ends thanat' the center thereof, pinsextending through saidfopen ings, coincident air and steam through saidsections, fiexiblejgas ets between the confronting faces of the twosecand uncoupling said sections,

7. In an automatic coupling. device, the combination of a car couler andknuckle pins extending therethroug with two interlocking sectionssupported by said cou lin ti'ons, andmeans for automatically couplingpins," projections extending from each 0 said assag s ing against theoutside of each section, and means iorautomaticaliy opening and closing:

said sections simultaneously with the operation of the car coupler.

' In testimonyv I? specification in 'ing witnesses.

tannins ramas; Witnesses:

AH. PARSQNS, 231; Jonns'ronii; I have, signed this ens-e oftwo subscrib-

